horacethegrey
First Post
So yeah. Just watched this, and it was good. I wouldn't rank it as the best Marvel Studios has produced (that would be Civil War), but I'd place it alongside excellent origin films like the first Iron Man and Ant-Man. Just to let everyone know though, I've never been a follower of Doctor Strange. I know of him and have come across many of his appearances in comics I've read over the years, but I'm not what you'd call a big fan of the character. I've never even read the issues that were made famous by Steve Ditko's mindbending artwork (I really should hunt these stories down). So really, I've no preconceived notions regarding how the character should be portrayed. With that said, let's go first to the positives of this movie.
PLUS
- Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome. Another casting coup for Marvel. He's got Stephen Strange's arrogance and self-absorption down pat. And even when he has his accident that severely damages his hands (thus ending his career as a top neurosurgeon), he never quite loses the arrogant streak. Though he eats a massive slice of humble pie once he starts his apprenticeship in the Mystic Arts, and finds that the world he lives in is quite small compared to the infinity that he now becomes aware of. Cumberbatch sells this character transformation pretty well, and manages to kick butt in the action scenes convincingly. And I haven't even mentioned that he does all this with a pretty convincing American accent. I wasn't so sure at first when I first heard him in the trailer, but at no point was I pulled out of the movie because of his accent. And the best part is, this is only the beginning. By the end of the film Strange is not yet the Sorceror Supreme, so there's plenty of time for him to reach that point, which means more of Benedict in the role. I can't wait.
- Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One was a genius casting choice on the part of the filmmakers. Controversy aside, she was incredible at portraying a centuries old mystic who is equal parts formidable and warm (though not lacking in a bit of snarkiness). Her casting may have been a compromise on Marvel's part, but still, what a winning compromise it is.
- The supporting cast was pretty good. Not surprising, what with the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Benedict Wong as Wong (ha!) giving humor and character to what could be throwaway roles in the hands of lesser actors. Ejiofor's Mordo I liked in particular, as he's pretty much a friend and colleague to Strange right up to the end, when his disillusionment with the latter and the Ancient One makes his inevitable turn to villainy much more believable rather than the paper thin reasoning of his comic counterpart. Rachel McAdams, though pretty underused, was also good as Strange's ex-love Christine Palmer.
- The visuals are spectacular. Let's face it, as much praise as I can give the acting, the real reason anyone is lining up to watch this flick are the visual effects. It's like Scott Derrickson scooped a portion from Steve Ditko's brain to create this amazing kaleidoscope of imagery that just dances on the screen and makes your eyes shine in wonder.
- The final confrontation with Dormammu is one of the best resolutions to a superhero movie I've seen. It's pretty ingenious how Strange manages to win the day, by trapping a godlike being in a time loop until he can force a stalemate. It's like the writers took a solution from Doctor Who and transplanted it to Doctor Strange. I'm not complaining though, as it's nice to have the hero save the day by not punching the problem to submission.
MINUS
- What a waste of Mads Mikkelsen. Casting such a great actor in such a boring role. Kaecillius was hardly grade A supervillain material, and was just put there to provide Strange an antagonist. Hannibal deserved better.
- The story was pretty rote. Really, you could fill out a checklist of all the predictable plot points (aside from the ending). Not much surprises here, but it's a minor complaint.
Welp. There's nothing more to say, other than Marvel has another win on their hands. A solid 9/10 from me.
PLUS
- Benedict Cumberbatch is awesome. Another casting coup for Marvel. He's got Stephen Strange's arrogance and self-absorption down pat. And even when he has his accident that severely damages his hands (thus ending his career as a top neurosurgeon), he never quite loses the arrogant streak. Though he eats a massive slice of humble pie once he starts his apprenticeship in the Mystic Arts, and finds that the world he lives in is quite small compared to the infinity that he now becomes aware of. Cumberbatch sells this character transformation pretty well, and manages to kick butt in the action scenes convincingly. And I haven't even mentioned that he does all this with a pretty convincing American accent. I wasn't so sure at first when I first heard him in the trailer, but at no point was I pulled out of the movie because of his accent. And the best part is, this is only the beginning. By the end of the film Strange is not yet the Sorceror Supreme, so there's plenty of time for him to reach that point, which means more of Benedict in the role. I can't wait.
- Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One was a genius casting choice on the part of the filmmakers. Controversy aside, she was incredible at portraying a centuries old mystic who is equal parts formidable and warm (though not lacking in a bit of snarkiness). Her casting may have been a compromise on Marvel's part, but still, what a winning compromise it is.
- The supporting cast was pretty good. Not surprising, what with the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo and Benedict Wong as Wong (ha!) giving humor and character to what could be throwaway roles in the hands of lesser actors. Ejiofor's Mordo I liked in particular, as he's pretty much a friend and colleague to Strange right up to the end, when his disillusionment with the latter and the Ancient One makes his inevitable turn to villainy much more believable rather than the paper thin reasoning of his comic counterpart. Rachel McAdams, though pretty underused, was also good as Strange's ex-love Christine Palmer.
- The visuals are spectacular. Let's face it, as much praise as I can give the acting, the real reason anyone is lining up to watch this flick are the visual effects. It's like Scott Derrickson scooped a portion from Steve Ditko's brain to create this amazing kaleidoscope of imagery that just dances on the screen and makes your eyes shine in wonder.
- The final confrontation with Dormammu is one of the best resolutions to a superhero movie I've seen. It's pretty ingenious how Strange manages to win the day, by trapping a godlike being in a time loop until he can force a stalemate. It's like the writers took a solution from Doctor Who and transplanted it to Doctor Strange. I'm not complaining though, as it's nice to have the hero save the day by not punching the problem to submission.
MINUS
- What a waste of Mads Mikkelsen. Casting such a great actor in such a boring role. Kaecillius was hardly grade A supervillain material, and was just put there to provide Strange an antagonist. Hannibal deserved better.
- The story was pretty rote. Really, you could fill out a checklist of all the predictable plot points (aside from the ending). Not much surprises here, but it's a minor complaint.
Welp. There's nothing more to say, other than Marvel has another win on their hands. A solid 9/10 from me.
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